Learn More About Alumni

Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR)

Our full-time, on-campus Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) program is ideal for career-driven professionals interested in the human side of organizations and the workplace. It is a two-year, leading degree program in the area of human resources and labor relations. This program will provide you the opportunity to customize your academic experience; acquire relevant and practical knowledge from expert faculty in their fields; and gain access to our employer and alumni networks, who actively recruit our graduates for career placement and advancement.

*Courses offered by the ILR School and the 14 other colleges at Cornell provide an opportunity for cross-disciplinary work.

Courses taken toward fulfillment of the MILR degree requirements must meet all of the following criteria:

5000 level or above

Taken for a letter grade (pass/fail and S/U grade option courses do not count)

Final course grade must be C or above

3 or more credits. Courses that carry less than 3 credits do not count unless combined with another less-than-three credit course. Such instances will count as 1 course and must be taken for credit.

One-Year MILR Degree

Applicants with a JD or MBA degree from an accredited U.S. institution or a BS ILR degree from Cornell University may apply to complete the MILR degree program in one year. Not all applicants will be approved for the one-year option, but each application will be evaluated individually by the admissions committee. 30 credit hours including the 6 MILR core courses are required. Students in the one-year MILR program must:

Complete a total of 30 credits

Complete 2 full-time semesters in the MILR program

Complete or waive all 6 of the MILR required core courses

Complete or waive four of the six concentration courses

Complete as many relevant and appropriate electives as needed to fulfill the 30 credit requirement

Career Outcomes

What do ILR students do after graduation? There are many job and career field options available to those who earn a degree from the ILR School, including corporate HR, labor relations, labor, government, law, non-profit, consulting, and financial services.

Results are available from the most recent surveys of postgraduate activities of MILR degree recipients. Download the 2015 MILR post-graduate report to learn more.